THE PROTECTION OF PRAISE

“If you search for good, you will find favor; but if you search for evil, it will find you!” (Proverbs 11:27 NLT)

Over the years I’ve met some pretty cool servants of the Lord. Many years ago when I served as Vice President of Ministries at Sandy Cove, I had the privilege of meeting singer/songwrite/author/speaker, John Fischer. John is a good friend of America’s Keswick and he wrote several devotionals in our daily devotional, REAL VICTORY FOR REAL LIFE:

Praise is a valuable weapon against the enemy. War cries, frontal assaults, or special words of exorcism can’t drive back the forces of evil. Neither can the brandishing of the sword or the charge of the brigade. What keeps the powers of darkness at bay is the simple and true praise of the Savior from a heart set free.

Christians are engaged in a battle, but going on the warpath won’t win this fight. It can even make matters worse. Christians can easily get caught up searching for evil in the world and trying to root it out, but by focusing on evil so much we bring the evil right to us. The best way to go after the enemy is with Christ on our minds and praise for Him in our hearts. We do this unconsciously, all the time. We sing a little song of praise as we go about our tasks, and unseen demons rush for cover. There are some things we are better off not knowing about.

Like the complicated etchings of the classical German painter Albrecht Durer that depict hosts of angelic beings and demons warring high in the sky over peaceful, tranquil landscapes, we have little knowledge of what is really going on at any given time in the heavenly realms around us. But we need not be conscious of this. We do not require sentries on the watch every hour, fearing attack. We do not have to check behind every door. It’s better that we don’t. (“If you search for evil, it will find you!”) We need only be in the presence and the praise of Jesus. The enemy flees at the mere sound of his name.

Jesus is our constant protection. He is our most valuable possession. The best protection against evil is a heart bent toward the good—seeking God in all things. Light does not fight with darkness. There is no wrestling match necessary. Light banishes darkness. They cannot occupy the same place at the same time. John Fischer

Team YOU: Isaiah 59-60; Proverbs 17; 1 Thessalonians 5

Motivations: When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me. John Wesley

Practice to Remember: Level 1:James 2:5; Level 2: James 2:1-5 

Powered Up:  I question whether the people who continually ask for prayer meetings know the first element of prayer. It is often an abortion of religious hysterics, a disease of the nerves taking a spiritual twist. – Oswald Chambers